It’s hard to believe that Grace is 3 already! She certainly acts like a 3 year old, but still looks like a 2 year old. We finally had her appointment last week and she weighed a massive 23 lbs (fully clothed) and is 35 inches tall. The nurse said, “You’re such a peanut!” and Gracie told her, “I not a peanut! I Dracie!”

Grace has become quite an attention hog, which often ticks off her big sister. She sings and dances like a ballerina and loves to snuggle up in our laps or ask to be in a family hug. She’s also really funny these days saying all kinds of grown up things and then the next minute crossing her arms and harumphing while she pouts. She’s also mastered a really funny fake cry which is pretty realistic, but just makes us laugh. Her favorite foods are oatmeal and salad and she often chooses bananas over sweets.

She started gymnastics in January and LOVES it. It’s so funny to watch her in her own class out in the gym. At her first class they warmed up in the front, then were told to put their hands on their hips and follow their teacher over to the beams. Grace stood up, put her hands on her hips and started to walk away. Then she stopped, turned her head toward me and gave me a big wink before heading on to the beams.

Gracie is very interested in princesses and loves to wear “bootiful” clothes and carry wands. She likes having her hair braided like Elsa and getting her nails painted. She can’t wait to go to school next year and thinks she’s big stuff because she was promoted out of the baby hallway at church. Grace is constantly collecting things: loose change, glass stones, small toys, beads, etc. and tucks them into her socks, shoes and purses, claiming them as hers. She is very proud to be a big sister and loves holding Sarah and is, for the most part, quick to try to please others. You can count on Grace to be a “helper”, especially when it comes to helping me cook. 🙂

Sarah is five months today! She’s getting so big and continues to be easy going and pleasant. She’s had a cold this past week, but it hasn’t bothered her too much, other than waking up a couple of extra times each night because her nose is stuffy and she can’t suck on her paci which makes her really mad.

She can sit up by herself for short periods of time and is SO close to rolling from back to front. She’s such a content baby that she’s really had no interest in rolling. She’s happy to just lay on her back and look around or lay on her tummy and check things out, but the kids and I have been making her practice and she’s almost got it!

She started rice cereal this month and loves to eat at the dinner table with us. It took her a couple of days to get the hang of it, but now she gobbles it down. Sarah likes to play in her exersaucer and still enjoys rocking in her swing. One of her favorite things is to have her diaper changed and she recently discovered the joy of snuggling with a lovey which is very sweet.

Sarah is on a great schedule, although I think she’s getting ready to drop down to two naps a day. She sleeps 9pm-9am, waking at 6 to eat. I would love it if Sarah would bump that early feed to 7, but she is a fast eater and goes right back to sleep, so I’m not complaining! 🙂

Sarah finally had her 4 month check up today. She was 13lbs, 13oz and 25 1/2 inches long. She is pretty much always happy and has been caught laughing a couple of times. (check out her cute laugh: http://youtu.be/cNE6P1CpXk8) She loves sitting at the table with the family during meals and has even started hanging out in her exersaucer.

She now reaches for toys and tries to put everything into her mouth. She has almost figured out how to get her paci back in without assistance (yay!) and sleeps 9pm to 7am. Sometimes she wakes up during the night and “sings” to herself for a bit before going back to sleep. It’s a little hard to sleep through but is pretty cute. 🙂

Sarah is now 3 months old and is growing and changing so quickly! She’s very smiley these days and so laid back and easy going that I am occasionally late to feed her or change her diaper. She rarely cries or screeches, but she is “talking” a lot. The big kids still love her and constantly tell us how cute, adorable, beautiful and smiley she is. She enjoys all of their attention and loves to sit and stare at them when they hold her.

Sarah is about to outgrow her 3 month clothes and is sleeping like a champ! She doesn’t go to see the doctor until December 31st, but I can tell that she’s heavier. She has chunky cheeks (like her brother did!) and a very round little face which the kids like to poke. She sleeps from 9pm to 5am which Mommy loves and has settled into a really good schedule, taking a short morning and evening nap and a long afternoon nap which occurs while the big kids nap as well, which is SO nice for Mommy!

It’s hard to believe that our oldest could already be six years old! Eden is growing up so quickly (much too quickly in my opinion!). School has taken her to a whole new level of maturity, knowledge and confidence. She knows everything (she seriously told me that last week!) and if you thought she was bossy before, you should see her now! I know she’s honing her leadership skills and will probably make a fantastic teacher when she grows up. Word from her teacher is that Eden is quite the helper and likes to encourage other students to follow the rules and keep focused during class.

Eden had her first school performance right before Thanksgiving and she was very cute on stage. She of course knew all of the motions and every word to every song. She is doing well in school and has already mastered all of the kindergarten sight words so her teacher has been sending home additional words each week. Eden is very motivated to read, but says that math is her favorite subject. She started subtraction last week and she amazes me with how quickly she has grasped the concept.

She’s still a wonderful big sister, and is constantly coming up with new games and ideas to keep her siblings entertained. Being at school all day makes it seem like we barely see Eden anymore, but we know she loves being at school and she hasn’t had any problems adjusting to the long days.

Eden is still doing gymnastics and was promoted to level 1/2 this past session. She’s the youngest in her group, but she’s determined to not be the “worst” in the class and works hard to be able to do all of the things that the 7 and 8 year olds can do. It’s funny to watch her on the bars, where girls who are at least a head taller than her are doing pull overs with their feet on the ground, while Eden has to use her upper body strength to pull herself up and then her abs to flip herself around.

A new interest for Eden is art. And although the constant crafting often results in paper scraps, scissors, glue, glitter, and a variety of other things all over my kitchen table and floor, it’s fun to see what she comes up with and in my very biased opinion, it’s pretty good. It will be fun to see what other things Eden discovers as she learns and grows as a six year old!